Area Attractions & Local Information

Day Hikes: Walking in Wonderland of the Great Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a paradise found for people who like to walk in the mountains.  Over 150 different trails are maintained in the park, more than 800 miles is all, offering hikers a lifetime’s worth of exploration and adventure. Hikers enjoy the Smoky Mountains during all months of the year with every season offering its own special rewards. During the winter, the absence of deciduous leaves opens new vistas along trails and reveals stone walls, chimneys, foundations and other reminders of past residents.  Spring provides a weekly parade of wildflowers and flowing trees, and event celebrated by hikers from across the country. In summer, walkers can seek out cool retreats among the spruce and fir forest and balds or follow splashy mountain streams to roaring waterfalls and cascades.  Autumn hikers have crisp, dry air to sharpen their senses and a varied palette of fall foliage to enjoy. One of the most daunting tasks facing hikers is choosing a trail.  Start by deciding on what you would like to see. Then decide how far you would like to hike. If you haven’t hiked much recently, be conservative.  5 miles roundtrip is good maximum distance for novices. Be sure to allow plenty of time to complete your hike before dark.  Sunset times vary from a little after 5 pm in December to a slightly before 9 pm in June.  Since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America’s most popular national park, some foot traffic on certain trails can be heavy. However most trails receive surprisingly light use.  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most popular trails are: Abrams Falls, Alum Cave, Chimney Tops, Forney Ridge (to Andrews Bald), Laurel Falls (to the falls), Rainbow Falls, Ramsey Cascades, the Appalachian Trail (between Newfound Gap and Charlie Bunion), and Trillium Gap (to Grotto Falls).  Most other trails offer solitude.

Loop Hikes: Most trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were converted from old roads or railroads.  Since most routes were linear rather than circular, there are relatively few short loop hikes in the Smokies today.  Listed below are some of the best for day hikers.

Favorite Hiking Trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• Rich Mountain: Distance: 8.5 miles, Difficulty: Moderate, Highlights: Views of Cades Cove, mountain laurel blooms in May and good fall colors in October.  Park in the large parking area at the start of Cades Cove Loop Road. The trail starts across the road from the parking area, just past the barricade.  Follow Rich Mountain Loop Trail to Indian Grave Gap Trail and continue on to Crooked Arm Ridge Trail.
• Cucumber Gap: Distance: 5.5 miles, Difficulty: Easy, Highlights: spring wildflowers.  Park near the barricade at the start of Little River Trail above Elkmont Campground.  Follow Little River Trail to Cucumber Gap Trail and continue on to Jakes Creek Trail.  Follow Jakes Creek Trail down to the old cabins and walk the road back to your vehicle.
• Indian Creek: Distance: 4.1 miles, Difficulty: moderate, Highlights: Tom Branch and Indian Creek Falls.  Park at the end of Deep Creek trailhead (at the end of the Deep Creek Road).  Follow Deep Creek Trail to Indian Creek Trail and follow the latter to Loop Trail. Follow Loop Trail to Deep Creek Trail and descent to the trailhead.
• Smokemont: Distance: 6.1 miles, Difficulty: moderate, Highlights: mountain streams, wildflowers. Park in the designated hikers parking area in Smokemont campground.  Walk to the Bradley Fork Trailhead in D-Loop and follow Bradley Fork Trail to Smokemont Loop Trail.  Smokemont Loop Trail returns you to Smokemont Campground.
• Boogerman Loop: Distance: 7.4 miles, Difficulty: moderate, Highlights: old-growth forest.  Park at Cataloochee campground and walk up the road a short distance to Caldwell Fork Trail.  Follow Caldwell Fork Trail to Boogerman Trail.  Continue along Boogerman Trail to Caldwell Fork Trail and take it back to the trailhead.

Hikes with Views

• Andrews Bald: Roundtrip distance: 3.6 miles, Difficulty: moderate. Park in the large parking area at the end of Clingmans Dome Road and take the Forney Ridge Trail to Andres Bald. Use caution, this trail is very rocky.

• Chimney Tops Trail: Roundtrip distance: 4 miles, Difficulty: strenuous. The Chimney Tops Trailhead is signed and located on the Newfound Gap road 7.7 miles south of Sugarlands Visitor center (7 miles north of Newfound Gap).

• Charlies Bunion: Roundtrip Distance: 8 miles, Difficulty: moderate. Park at the large parking area at Newfound Gap and take the Appalachian Trail north.

• Clingmans Dome: Roundtrip distance: 1 mile, Difficulty: moderate. Park at the large parking area at the end of Clingmans dome Road. The trail to the observation tower of Clingmans Dome is paved, but very steep.

• Gregory Ridge: Roundtrip distance to Gregory Bald: 11.4 miles, Difficulty: Strenuous. Trailhead is at the end of Forge Creek Road in Cades Cove.

• Look Rock Tower: Roundtrip distance: 1 mile, Difficulty: moderate.  The hard-surfaced trail to the observation tower starts from the Foothills Parkway.

• Mt. Sterling: Roundtrip distance: 5.4 miles, Difficulty: strenuous.  Mt. Sterling trail begins from old North Carolina 284 which runs between Big Creek and Cataloochee.  The road is unpaved but ok for passenger cars.  The trail to the old fire tower is very steep.

• Shuckstack Tower: Roundtrip distance: 7 miles, Difficulty: strenuous.  To hike the Appalachian Trail to Shuckstack, cross Fontana Dam and continue 0.6 mile to the trailhead.  Hike the steep trail north towards Birch Spring Gap and Doe Knob.

• Alum Cave/ Mt. Le Conte: Roundtrip distance: 10 miles, Difficulty: strenuous.  Alum Cave Trail starts from a large, signed parking area 6.8 miles south of Sugarlands Visitor Center on Newfound Gap Road (US 441). Hiking just to Alum cave Bluffs, a popular destination for day hikers, is 4.6 miles roundtrip.  (There is not an actual cave at the bluffs.) Alum cave Trail continues to near the top of Mt. Le Conte (6,593').  There are excellent views from cliff Tops and Myrtle Point.

• Spence Field/ Russell Field Loop: Roundtrip distance: 13.2 miles, Difficulty: strenuous. From Cades Cove Picnic Area, take Anthony Creek Trail to Bote Mountain Trail to Spence Field.  Follow the Appalachian Trail south to Russell Field and descend Russell Field Trail to Anthony Creek Trail and Cades Cove Picnic Area.